VITAMIN B12

DEFECIENCY

1
●
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a complex organometallic compound found in animal
and dairy products like meat, eggs or milk.
●
Dairy and animal products are broken down in the stomach by pepsin, which is the active form of
a gastric enzyme called pepsinogen, to release Vitamin B12 and binds a salivary protein called
haptocorrin.
●
On entering the duodenum, haptocorrin–B12 complexes
●
are processed by pancreatic proteases; this releases B12,
●
which attaches to intrinsic factor secreted from the parietal cells of the gastric fundic mucosa.
●
3. The intrinsic factor–B12 complexes pass to the distal
●
ileum and attach to cubilin, a receptor for intrinsic
●
factor, and are taken up into enterocytes
●
Then, a protein made by parietal cells in the stomach, called intrinsic factor, can bind to B12, and
the B12-intrinsic factor complex passes into the intestines.
●

●
When the complex reaches the terminal ileum, the enterocytes, which are the special cells lining
the intestines, recognize intrinsic factor and absorb the whole complex.
●

●
Inside the enterocytes, intrinsic factor gets removed and a special protein called transcobalamin-
II binds the free B12 and transports it into the blood and from there, to various target tissues.
●

●
Some of the transcobalamin-B12 complex gets to the liver, where B12 can be stored for several
years.